DOE · DOE-593 · record R3448

Microsoft CoPilot

Department of Energy · NE INL - NE Idaho National Laboratory (NE)

Overview

Development stage: DeployedSource: c) Deployed – The use case is being actively authorized or utilized to support the functions or mission of an agency.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: Used for general purpose generative AI within a COTS product.
Start date: 2025-07-03 (day precision)Source: 2025-07-03T00:00:00
Withheld from public reporting: NoSource: a) No

Mission

Topic area: Administrative Functions
Operational functions: Chatbot or virtual assistant, Software development assistance Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

Generative AI tools like this solve the problem of time-consuming knowledge work by instantly providing expert-level assistance with writing, coding, research, and analysis. They automate repetitive tasks that require human expertise, allowing people

Expected benefits

Boost employee productivity by helping to create content, assist in coding, and complex problem-solving tasks, while democratizing access to sophisticated capabilities like writing and design. This technology promises to accelerate innovation by serving as an intelligent collaborator, freeing humans to focus on higher-level strategic and creative work

System outputs

The outputs of this tool is human-like text, code, and creative content that appears to be written by an expert. These tools produce coherent paragraphs, functional programming code, detailed analyses, creative stories, technical documentation, and conversational responses that are contextually relevant and professionally structured.

Technology

AI classification: Generative AISource: Generative AI: AI that generates new or synthetic content (e.g., images, videos, audio, text, code).
System name(s): CS-SSP-123,Cybersecurity System Security Plan for Azure Platform
Custom-developed code: No
Public source code: Not available

Sourcing

How it was built: Contract and in-houseSource: c) Developed with both contracting and in-house resources
Vendor (as reported): Microsoft
Vendors (standardized): Microsoft

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII: Yes
Privacy Impact Assessment: Not reported
Authorization to Operate: No
Demographic features: Not reported
Training and evaluation data: Microsoft 365 Copilot is powered by large language models (LLMs) developed by OpenAI (e.g., GPT-4), which are trained on a broad corpus of publicly available data, licensed datasets, and Microsoft-curated content. This includes public web content, books, articles, and licensed third-party data
Federal Data Catalog: Not available

Governance

0 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Pre-deployment testingNo answer reported

AI impact assessmentNo answer reported

Independent reviewNo answer reported

Ongoing monitoringNo answer reported

Operator trainingNo answer reported

Fail-safeNo answer reported

Appeal processNo answer reported

User and public consultationNo answer reported

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported